Embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatus for the transfer of biological material onto biological storage media, such as treated card or paper. Embodiments of the present invention relate relates also to methods for transferring such materials onto the media.
It is known to transfer plant and like biological material onto treated storage card or paper for capturing biological information, for example when examining rare species in remote locations. Commercially available biological storage media is sold as a sample storage card and is supplied by GE Healthcare under the brand name FTA. This card is chemically treated to preserve DNA material. A known technique for transferring biological material onto the card involves vigorously rubbing the plant material onto the treated card in order to transfer cells from the plant onto the paper. The cells are generally lysed by the chemical treatment on the card and DNA material within the lysed cells becomes bound to the card. The DNA material can be sequenced later at a laboratory, without the need to further preserve the plant material, and without the need to store the card at low temperatures.
However, this technique is time consuming and laborious. Also, the risk of contaminating the collected DNA is high because manual steps are involved. Further, consistent transfer of material is very difficult because the manual steps are not always performed with the same degree of rubbing force or for the same length of time, which in turn leads to inconsistencies in the quantity and quality of plant material transferred. Embodiments of the present invention address the above problems.